Bond girl Karin Dor dies at 79

German actress Karin Dor, best known internationally for her role as Bond girl Helga Brandt in the film “You Only Live Twice,” has died aged 79.

Born Kaetherose Derr in 1938, she began her film career early with a speaking role in 1954 in the movie “Rosen-Resli” (“Rose-Girl Resli”) and later became known for her portrayal of innocent characters in need of protection.

International recognition came when she acted alongside Sean Connery as an enemy agent who falls for the British superspy.
She dies an unpleasant death in the 1967 film however, and is eaten by piranhas.

Further Hollywood offers followed, including from director Alfred Hitchcock who cast her in the 1969 spy thriller “Topaz.”

She continued working well into the new millennium, playing an alcoholic mother in the German drama “Ich bin die Andere” (“I am the other”) in 2006.